


Headphones and Silence

by RikuNghts



Series: The Evolution of a Friendship [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Autism, Autistic Character, Autistic Tsukishima Kei, Best Friends, Birthday Presents, Friendship, Gen, Noise Sensitivity, Pre-Canon, headphones, slightly AU maybe?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12000687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuNghts/pseuds/RikuNghts
Summary: Tsukishima's birthday is coming up, and Yamaguchi has no idea what to get him. He doesn't want to get him the same thing he's been getting him for years, and he wants the gift to help him in some way, too. But what can he get his rather picky friend who has been having a hard time coping with all the noise at their school?





	Headphones and Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the feed back from Dinosaurs and Friendship, I decided to make a series following the friendship of Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. In this series I've made Tsukishima have autism. As a person with ASD as well, I love Tsukki and his headphones always catch my attention because I tend to wear them when I am going out as well. 
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy! Comments are kudos are much appreciated. Please let me know if you'd like to see anything else explored in this series.

Sudden noise had always disturbed Tsukishima. When he was younger, his mother dropping a metal pan in the kitchen had sent him into a meltdown. It wasn’t like he could help it, either. The noise startled him, frightened him, and he couldn’t control his outbursts. 

As he got older, it became easier to control his reactions to the loud noises, but they still bothered him. Rather than meltdown, he would get angry. The noises intruded on his thoughts, disrupting whatever he had been thinking about. He hated being interrupted. 

In that sense, Yamaguchi was a great friend. He quickly learned that if Tsukishima was deep in thought, it was best to quietly get his attention. Loud noises were to be avoided as much as possible unless Tsukishima knew it was coming. After they became friends, he was content to spend hours quietly drawing at Tsukki’s house. The two of them would quietly draw dinosaurs or read books, and when Akiteru nii-san came home, they would run out of the house after him, begging to play volleyball. 

Yamaguchi noticed Tsukki was getting angrier by the end of middle school, though. By the end of the school day, students were always loud and obnoxious. Tsukki’s brows were usually furrowed, and any conversation directed his way was answered by a short “tch” before he turned his back. Yamaguchi was the only one he would answer to, and even then, only if he could get his attention. 

He wanted to help, but he had no idea how. He wasn’t equipped, was he? They were just fourteen years old, soon to be fifteen, and what did he know about what bothered his best friend? He’d gone online and looked up Autism, and it had given him a brief glimpse into his friend’s mind, but it wasn’t _Tsukki_. Not everything applied to him. 

“Have you decided what you’re getting Tsukishima-kun for his birthday yet?” his mother asked the week before said friend’s birthday. 

Yamaguchi poked at his dinner and frowned. “No. I have no idea. He already has just about every book about dinosaurs, and I don’t want to get him _another_ figure, even if he wouldn’t mind it.” 

“Well, what else does he like?” 

“Volleyball.” 

“Does he need a new volleyball?” 

He thought about that and then quickly dismissed the idea. “No, his brother will probably get him one. Shoes, too.” 

“Can you think of anything he needs?” 

“Is there a magic way to get people to leave him alone and be quiet?” he asked, half jokingly. 

His mother glanced at his father and then back at him. “Are people bothering him at school?”

“Not like you’d think, no. But at the end of the day people are so loud, and it bothers him.” 

“Hmm,” his father mused out loud. “What about noise cancelling headphones?” 

Yamaguchi looked up. “What?” 

“Noise cancelling headphones. Even if you’re not listening to music, they’re pretty effective at cancelling out noise. They can be expensive, but I’m sure if you found a pair you liked, we could help you out, if it was for Tsukishima-kun.” 

“Dad, you’re brilliant! That’s _perfect_ ,” he shouted. 

“If you eat your dinner, maybe we can go look for a pair before the stores close for the evening,” his mother said, gesturing towards the clock. 

He practically inhaled his food in his excitement, hoping they would have exactly what he was looking for. His mother warned him to slow down and not choke, but he was too excited to really listen.

~~~

“These are so expensive!” Yamaguchi cringed as he stood next to his mother looking at the various noise cancelling headphones. “I can’t afford these!”

“Tadashi, you’re looking in the wrong spot,” his father called from further down the aisle. He waved them over. “Those are top of the line. I know Tsukishima-kun is your best friend, but you don’t need to get him _that_ brand. What about these?” he asked, gesturing to the mid-range headphones. 

Yamaguchi glanced at the prices and breathed a sigh of relief. They were literally a fraction of the price. He nodded. “Yes, these will work. He looked over the different pairs. But what color would Tsukki like? Black seemed too plain, and for some reason he thought they would look strange with his black glasses. He wanted Tsukki to look cool. He picked up a pair of white Somy headphones and put them over his ears. 

“I can’t hear anything,” he said as the voices in the store dulled to an inaudible murmur. He could tell his mother was saying something to him, but he couldn’t pick out the exact words. They were muffled. He grinned up at her and shrugged. 

“These will work,” he said, not realizing how loudly he has spoken. His mother made hushing motions with her hands and he laughed. 

Yeah. These would be perfect.

~~~

Tsukishima never had a big birthday. It was just his mother, his brother, and since they became friends, Yamaguchi. Dinner was usually something simple: fish, rice, and pickles. For dessert, instead of a traditional cake, Tsukishima always wanted strawberry shortcake.

Everyone was used to it by now. No candles, not fuss. Just a nice quiet meal with his favorite treat and then a few small gifts. 

As expected, Akiteru nii-san got Tsukki a new volleyball, and his mother bought him new sneakers. Even though his old pair still looked good, he had gotten taller and had outgrown the others. Yamaguchi could hardly contain his excitement as Tsukki murmured his thanks. 

“Here, Tsukki,” he said, handing over the wrapped box. He’d found dinosaur wrapping paper and he thought he might appreciate it. Based on the small smile and the careful unwrapping, he had been right. 

Once the present was open, Tsukki stared at it blankly and Yamaguchi fidgeted. “Headphones?” 

“Umm, yeah. They’re noise cancelling. So when you have them on, you won’t be able to hear loud noises.” 

Tsukki looked up at him, his eyes just as blank as before. Yamaguchi knew this look, though. He was processing the information and digesting it. 

Carefully he opened the box and pulled out the white headphones. He unwrapped the plastic from around the earpieces and inspected them, turning them this way and that. When he placed them over his neck, his brother grinned. 

“Looking good, Kei-chan.” 

He slid them up over his ears and looked directly at Yamaguchi. “Say something,” he ordered. 

“Umm… hi? They work. I tried them out in the store.” 

“I said say something. Don’t just mouth it,” Tsukki said, a little louder this time. 

“Yamaguchi gestured and raised his voice. “I am! They really, _really_ work, Tsukki!” 

Eyes wide, Tsukishima took the headphones off his ears and let them slide around his neck. His mother smiled and started to clean up the mess from dessert and dinner. Akiteru helped her. 

“Thank you,” Tsukki whispered, reaching over just a bit and placing his hand on Yamaguchi’s. He stared at the table, blinking rapidly. 

Yamaguchi hadn’t cried in a long time, but he wanted to right then. He’d made his best friend happy, and he’d found a way to help him. He squeezed one of his fingers and whispered back, “You’re welcome.”


End file.
